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Mired in slump, Solarte held out of starting lineup

4/17/14: Yangervis Solarte deposits Grant Balfour's pitch into the seats in right for his first Major League home run, extending the lead

By Bryan Hoch
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MLB.com |

BOSTON -- Yangervis Solarte is in his second offensive slump of the month, which prompted manager Joe Girardi to give the rookie infielder a day off on Wednesday against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Solarte is hitless in his last 14 at-bats, striking out three times in Tuesday's 9-3 victory and dropping his batting average to .303 (20-for-66). Solarte also had an 0-for-11 skid earlier in April.

"I don't sense that he's pressing or anything. I think he's happy with the at-bats," Girardi said. "Sometimes I've been telling Brian Roberts, he hasn't been too smart lately, lining out all the time.

"It happens. It's part of the game. Sometimes they even out. Sometimes they don't."

Solarte lined out in his last at-bat on Tuesday and has not taken his offensive drought into the field, turning in a pair of nice plays at third base in the Yanks' most recent victory.

Assistant general manager Billy Eppler recently said that Solarte's ability to come out of the first skid showed the organization something.

"I think we've had a good amount of games played. He's been tested in some situations," Eppler said. "He's kind of already gone through a little bit of a lull -- he's had that kind of moment where, to use an NCAA reference, your three-point shot gets lost for a second. He got it back. The tools and the ability to use those tools are there for this guy to be a Major League player."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.